Add Aerobic Exercise As A Dog Training Aid For Multiple Benefits
Posted: Tuesday, January 26, 2010
by Sylvia Dickens
Hale Publishing
A dog training aid usually consists of leashes, special collars that use different methods to restrain your pet. We seldom add aerobic exercise to the list. Yet, it is far more important and beneficial than any physical device and probably gets better results.
The most powerful dog training aid is aerobic exercise. Without exercise, a dog will have far too much energy to be able to concentrate on what you are trying to teach them. Dogs are similar to children in this respect. When they are wound up, all they want to do is move around. They do not want to sit in class and focus on the lessons.
It increases a dog's oxygen consumption and makes the heart beat stronger and faster. It is the kind of exercise that tires out a dog. Allowing your dog to run off leash is one of the best ways to accomplish this, however a treadmill is a good alternative.
If your dog has behavioral issues, exercise will help considerably. One way to find out if your dog's training problem is directly related to a lack of exercise is to keep track of the level of exercise he gets and his behavior afterwards. For instance, if you take your dog out for a good run on Saturday and not on Sunday, note whether his behavior is better or worse each day.
Chances are he will be more subdued on Saturday and showing signs of misbehaving by Monday evening. This will tell you that it is a good idea to make sure your dog gets quality exercise every day.
Plan your exercise based on the type of dog you have. Hunting breeds need a lot of exercise, but small dogs (often known as lap dogs) need much less exercise. Large or "giant" breeds, surprisingly, do not need as much exercise as sporting dogs. As you can see, breed type should be considered. Also, it depends on your particular dog's personality. Some are more energetic than others.
Remember that exercise is very beneficial to your dog's overall health and provides many psychological benefits as well. It can be calming and mood stabilizing because physical exercise increases the release of endorphins and serotonin in the brain, even in dogs. Serotonin is particularly interesting because while physical activity increases its production, mental activity shuts it down. This can lead to depression. Yes, your dog can get depressed.
If your dog is melancholy and inactive, a good dose of aerobic exercise might be just the cure he needs. He will be calmer and in a better frame of mind for his training exercises. Apart from that, strenuous physical exercise that pumps blood through his system helps to guard against damage to brain cells, thereby maintaining your dog's thinking, memory and attention as he ages.
As long as your dog remains anxiety free and in top physical shape from the quantity and amount of exercise he gets, he will be easier to train and far more content.
Make use of this excellent and powerful dog training aid so that your best friend is healthy and fit from his head to his feet.
--------
Start your training on the right foot and grab this free special report, "How To Pick The Right Dog Training Tools." Take the free trial of her Puppy Parenting Course for even more valuable advice on how to raise and train a dog properly.
This Article has been viewed 13 times. (Not updated in real-time.)
No comments yet.We want your comments! If you can read this, you don't have javascript enabled, so you can't use this comment system. Please enable javascript.